Neither last week’s top placed Khanh Hoa nor second placed T&T Hanoi won their home matches Sunday, letting Nam Dinh move to the top of Vietnam’s top-flight V-League from third place.

The home team took the lead in the 60th minute but Thanh Hoa scored the equalizer five minutes from time.

At Hanoi’s Hang Day Stadium, T&T Hanoi suffered a 0-2 defeat against Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL).

HAGL were missing some key players but the excellent performance of Thai playmaker Dasakorn Thonglao helped the 2003-2004 V-League champions take control of the match.

Thonglao sent a corner kick to striker Phan Thanh Binh who headed home in the 54^th minute before Thonglao himself doubled the score by sending the ball into the net straight from another corner kick just two minutes later.

The home loss pushed T&T Hanoi three places back to fifth while HAGL climbed five places to fourth.

With Khanh Hoa’s draw and T&T Hanoi’s loss, Nam Dinh grabbed the top of the table with a 1-0 home victory against The Cong at Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh Town.

In the central region, Da Nang moved into third place from seventh after hammering the Fourth Military Zone 5-2 at Chi Lang Stadium.

Song Lam Nghe An, the country’s best youth training center, drew 1-1 with HCMC Club at Vinh Stadium. It was their fourth consecutive draw and the third at home.

In the Mekong Delta, Dong Thap earned a point with a 1-1 draw with Dong Tam Long An (DTLA) at Cao Lanh Stadium. The visitors took the lead from a penalty kick after 25 minutes and the home team snatched a point with only one minute to go.

The draw pulled DTLA and Dong Thap down two places to the sixth and seventh respectively.

Reported by Thanh Nien staff